Non-palletized cargo unit formed of selected uniform size and weight bales of hay to fit multiple cargo spaces

ABSTRACT

A non-palletized unit of cargo comprises multiple substantially identical high-density bales of hay arranged in a stack having vertical peripheral sides and held together exclusively by inwardly directed lateral forces around the peripheral sides of the stack with the force being applied by multiple layers of pre-stretched stretch-wrap extending around the peripheral sides of the stack.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of application Ser. No.07/987,120, now abandoned, filed Dec. 8, 1992, which is a divisional ofapplication Ser. No. 07/674,863, filed Mar. 25, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No.5,175,981, which was a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.07/526,186, filed May 18, 1990, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FORUNITIZATION OF CARGO", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,177, and is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/353,811, filed May 17,1989, and entitled "HAY BALE RECOMPACTING SYSTEM" now U.S. Pat. No.5,001,974.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the high density baling of hay andpertains particularly to a method and apparatus for recompacting balesof hay into selective high density uniform size and weight bales, andnon-palletized unitization of multiple high density compact bales of hayinto selected uniform weight and size units of cargo for optimumutilization of space and for handling by lift trucks and the like.

There has, in recent years, developed an international market fordomestically produced hay. In order to meet the needs of this market,the hay must be packaged to provide for efficient and economicalhandling and shipping. Such economical handling and shipping requiresthat the packaging be in high density units capable of efficientpackaging into shipping containers, efficient mechanical handling, andeasily convertible to manual handling. This also requires that the balesalso be of substantially uniform size and weight and formable intoselectable uniform weight and size cargo units.

In the aforementioned parent application, a system and method isdisclosed for recompacting or further compacting bales of hay intohigher density bales and cutting them into smaller lighter weight unitsfor easier manual handling. That system provides high density, smallermore easily handled cargo units which are desirable for both ease ofloading and fitting into cargo space and for manual handling. However,it is also desirable that these units be substantially equal or uniformin size and weight and be easily formed into selected uniform size andweight larger units for mechanical handling and shipping.

The typical harvesting of hay involves cutting it and drying it in thefield, after which it is typically compressed and bound into bales foreasier handling and storage. In the past, the typical field baled baleof hay for local use typically weighs about fifty-five to seventy-fivepounds and occupies a space of about 48"×23"×17". The weight may vary byas much as 20% under certain circumstances. Bales of this size andweight are generally considered suitable for local manual handling andstorage. However, they are considered too bulky for commercial marketsand for long distance shipping, particularly for overseas shipping. Forthis reason, the standard commercial bale is about one-hundred tenpounds and of about the same dimensions as above. Twenty of such balesweigh a standard or metric ton of about twenty-two hundred pounds.

It has been found that such bales weighing fifty Kg or one-hundred tenpounds can be compacted into a single bale of about 18"×24"×20". This isabout the same width and height and less than one-half (1/2) the lengthof the standard bale. This size and weight bale has a density of abouttwenty-two pounds per cubic foot. These can then be split into18"×12"×20" bales and stacked and bound into fractions of one ton, oneton and multiple ton, such as two to twenty ton units for shipment.Also, two bales of the twenty-five Kg or fifty-five pounds weightstandard dimension can be compacted into a single bale of the aforesaidsize and weight. This recompacting or rebaling conserves considerablecargo space and provides easier handling units for manual handling, butrequires some form of unitization for existing mechanical cargo handlingand loading equipment, such as forklift trucks.

One form of unitization now used is the mounting of bales of hay onwooden pallets for handling with a forklift truck. The bales arefrequently tied or attached to the pallet by means of straps, webbing,netting and by shrink wrap polymer films. However, the pallets take upvaluable cargo space and weight and require separate handling andaccommodation. They are also of a standard size and restrict orpredetermine the size of a cargo unit. Moreover, they are an added cost,not only as a unit but as to handling and space requirements.

In our co-pending application Ser. No. 07/526,186, filed May 18, 1990,now U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,177 entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FORUNITIZATION OF CARGO", we disclose a method of unitizing multiple balesof hay for handling by means of a forklift truck without the need for apallet. That method is more fully discussed hereinbelow.

The shipping of cargo of this type in international trade requiresflexibility in the size of cargo units as well as a standardization thatcan be fit into different size cargo spaces. For example, most cargo isshipped in cargo containers of a standard 8'×8'×40'. However, when theyreach their destination, they must fit cargo spaces that may vary fromabout four to about ten feet in width and from about five to about fortyfeet in length. They must also be in units of weight that are standard,and can be accommodated by vehicles at the destination, which can varyfrom one-quarter ton to ten ton capacity. Thus, the units of cargobecome multiple parts of a puzzle that must fit in various arrangementsin several different weights in several different size cargo spaces.

It is desirable that improved means be available for the formation ofbales of hay into suitable size and weight cargo units for easy andefficient handling and shipping.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improvedsystem for the recompacting and formation of bales of hay into compacthigh density selectable uniform weight and size non-palletized cargounits.

In accordance with a primary aspect of the present invention, a methodof unitizing a cargo of multiple high density hay bales into anon-palletized cargo unit capable of being handled by a forklift truckor the like comprises the steps of selecting a plurality ofsubstantially identical high density bales of hay, arranging saidplurality of bales of hay into at least one layer of multiple horizontalrows, and wrapping multiple layers of an elongated continuous sheet ofpre-stretched polymeric film having a memory horizontally around saidplurality of bales of hay for forming a unit of cargo capable of beinghandled by forklift trucks without a pallet.

Another aspect of the invention includes method and apparatus forfurther compacting standard bales of hay into bales less than half thestandard size, cutting the recompacted bales into two smaller bales foreasier handling, and packaging for handling, storage or shipping.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description when read in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is top plan view illustrating a preferred embodiment of a hayrebaling system in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the feeding apparatus of theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a view like FIG. 2 illustrating the feeding apparatus of theinvention illustrating a step in the process of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a view taken generally on line 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view taken generally on line 5--5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a detailed view taken generally on line 6--6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of a stack of bales of hay arranged andbeing bound into a unit in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of a lift truck lifting the stack ofFIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a top plan view illustrating certain steps of carrying out theprocess of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of controls for the system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrateda preferred embodiment of the invention comprising a system for furtherdensifying and sizing of bales of hay in accordance with the method ofthe present invention. The system, in its preferred form, takes aspecifically selected charge of hay, feeds it into a compressionchamber, and compresses it into a bale of a specific and uniform sizeand weight, bands the reduced size bale, cuts it into two smaller balesof a uniform size and weight, and forms multiple bales into selectedsize non-palletized cargo units. The compression and banding features ofthe overall system are illustrated and described in more detail in theaforementioned parent application, which is incorporated herein byreference as though fully set forth.

The illustrated embodiment, as best seen in FIGS. 1-3, and designatedgenerally by the numeral 10, comprises in its preferred embodiment aconveyor and feeding means or system, designated generally by thenumeral 12, for conveying broken bales (i.e., bales wherein the tieshave been cut or broken) of hay to a a selective indexing unit 14. Theindexing unit 14 in its preferred form includes scales, and a gate orthe like for selectively allowing a predetermined amount or weight ofhay onto the scale, and means for moving the predetermined weight of hayonto an indexing table. This can be one standard bale of the desiredweight, or any predetermined amount. Thereafter, the indexing unit feedsit into a compression chamber, designated generally by the numeral 16,where the hay is compressed into a substantially smaller bale of abouttwenty inches in length. This compressed bale is extruded transverse tothe compression chamber through a strapping chamber, designatedgenerally by the numeral 18. In the strapping chamber, the bales arebound with two pairs of straps by strapping means, and then passed to acutting unit for cutting the bales into uniform units. The bales thenpass through cutting means, such as a saw at 20 for cutting them intosmaller bales. These smaller bales are then selectively arranged intopredetermined size and weight stacks, and bound into cargo units by afilm stretch wrap apparatus and process designated generally at 138.

The conveyor 12 may be of any suitable well known type, such as a beltconveyor, with a belt 24 that continuously runs and preferably isadjustable in speed to accommodate or provide adequate feeding for thecompressing function. A belt conveyor that enables the load to slipthereon (i.e. the belt to continuously run beneath the bale) issuitable. The conveyor feeds bales 26 of hay onto the indexing platform28, which in its preferred form is a platform of a scale. The scaleplatform 28 is supported on a plurality of load cells 30 and 32 of anelectronic scale, which is responsive to activate control means foractivating a gate unit, which pivots down to stop further feeding of hayonto the scale platform. Suitable scales are commercially available andany suitable type may be utilized, such as for example that disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,601,356, which is incorporated herein by reference asthought fully set forth. After a suitable load of hay is pressed ontothe first indexing platform 28, a gate 36 descends and prevents furtherhay from being moved onto the platform 28 by the conveyor belt. The gate36 is preferably a blade or shear that is vertically reciprocable onguide arms 38 and 40 by means of a linear air or hydraulic motor 42. Thearms or plates 38 and 40 are secured to and pivot on a shaft 46journaled in a pair of spaced bearings 48 and 50 (FIG. 1).

The indexing unit (FIGS. 1-3) comprises a second or stationaryhorizontal support platform 34 on which the bales of hay are pushed fromthe scale platform by a pusher blade 44 powered by the ram or motor 42.Thereafter, an indexing blade 52 powered by a ram or motor 54 moves thecharge of hay into the inlet side of the compression chamber of thepress.

The indexing ram comprises a hydraulic ram or cylinder 54 mounted on asupport frame or member 55. A piston rod 38 is connected to the rampiston (not shown) at one end and to a platen or ram head 52, whichengages and moves bales 26 sequentially in the compression chamber 16 ofthe press.

The indexing blade 36 or stop blade 36 and the pusher blade 44 nesttogether in the retracted position, as shown in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 6,where they also are lifted together by means of the ram 42. The holdingblade or gate 36 rests or nests inside the pusher blade assembly andpivots on the shafts 46 (FIG. 6) as previously explained. When the blade36 descends to the position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower tipthereof 36a may engage a fixed or stationary platen member 56 (FIG. 6)to sever or shear any hay that may extend therebetween. The pusher blade44 preferably has a lower edge that stops just short of the platen 56(FIG. 6) to insure clearance of the platform 28 as it moves forward toits forward position as shown in FIG. 3.

The linear motor 42 has a piston rod 36, which is pivotally connected ata forward end at 60 to a bracket member 62 secured to the top portion ofthe pusher blade 44. The pusher blade 44 is secured between a pair oftriangular shaped side plates 64 and 66, which rest outside the plates38 and 40 when in the retracted position of FIGS. 1 and 2. These platessupport the blade 44 in a pair of U-shaped side rails 68 and 70 by meansof pairs of rollers 72 and 74 on side plate 64 and 76 and 78 on sideplate 66. The rollers 74 and 78 are positioned coaxially with the shaft46 when in the retracted position, such that the two blade assembliesmay pivot about a common axis to the upwardly fully retracted position,as shown in phantom in FIG. 2. The pusher blade assembly couples to thestop blade assembly by means of a blade 80 disposed behind the blade 44that extends horizontally between a pair of bars 82 and 84 extendingbetween the side plates 38 and 40 of the stop blade assembly. Whencoupled together in this manner, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, continuedretraction of the linear motor 42, because of its lever arm, and becauseblade 44 is stopped by its engagement with blade 36 and cannot movefurther back, the entire assembly including side plates 64 and 66 pivotsabout the shaft 46 and about the pair of rollers 74 and 78, such thatboth blades rise above the conveyor to the position shown in phantom inFIG. 2. This clears the passage for the movement or passage of bales orportions of bales of hay onto the scale platform 28.

A pair of cam plates 86 and 88 mount a pair of arcuate guides or camsonly one shown 90 and 92, against which the rollers 72 and 76 engage orare biased as the motor 42 is activated to push the blade assembliesdownward in the stop and pushing positions, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and5.

A moveable backing plate 94 supported on a cable 96, which in turn issupported on a pair of pulleys or sheaves 98 and connected to a pair ofair springs or cylinders 100 and 102, as seen in FIG. 1, holds theforward end or forward blocks of a bale upright as it is being movedonto the scale platform 28 and as it is being moved onto the stationaryplatform 34. The backing plate 94 moves forward ahead of the bale, suchas to a position as shown in phantom in FIG. 2, to allow a bale orportions of a bale onto the scale platform. As soon as sufficient weightof bale is on the scale platform, the scale signals through a controlsystem the activation of the motor or cylinder 42, dropping the bladeassemblies to the blocking and pushing positions, as shown in FIG. 1,and the pusher blade pushes the predetermined weight bale forward ontothe stationary table 34. The cylinder 54 is then activated, pushing theblade 52 forward to push the bale or charge of hay into the compressionchamber as previously described. The blade 52 is supported by means of aplurality of rollers 104 and 106 from an overhead track 108 and 110.These are supported from a frame work of beams or beam frame structureas illustrated.

The charge for the bale of hay is typically a standard one-hundred tenpounds, but may be increased a slight amount, such as to one-hundredeleven to one-hundred twelve pounds to accommodate or compensate forwaste in further processing, including the cutting of the bales intosuitable size. After the charge of hay 26 is loaded into the compressionchamber 16, a compression cylinder 112 is activated by high pressurehydraulic fluid, forcing a platen or ram head 114 forward, and the baleforward into the end of the compression chamber where it communicateswith the strapping chamber 18.

An extruder cylinder 116 having a ram head 118 on the outer end of thepiston rod thereof is then actuated, forcing the bale transverse to thelongitudinal axis of the compression chamber into the strapping chamber18. An air cylinder 120 is mounted at the end of the compressionchamber, with a rod 122 that extends into engagement with the bale tohold it together as it is moved into the extrusion chamber. The bale 26is then forced laterally into the strapping or banding chamber, therebymaintaining the bale in its original orientation. As the bale is movedinto the strapping chamber, it is positioned for the placement of afirst set of straps, which are placed on the bale by means of aplurality of banding machines as illustrated. These banding machines arepreferably of the type available from the STRAPAC Company under thetrademark "Sivaron", with a Model No. SS-80Y being the most suitable.

These banding machines are disclosed in the company's instruction manualentitled SIVARON, SS-80Y.SS-80T, which is incorporated herein byreference as though fully set forth. These machines have been developedfor the placing of banding straps about packages and the like.Typically, such machines have a rectangular track which surrounds asupport table for receiving packages and the like, which are strapped orbanded while supported on the table. The machines are typicallyelectrically operated and cycle automatically when activated.

In the present invention, four of these banding machine raceways arepositioned to encircle the extrusion or strapping chamber, with themachines 122, 124, 126 and 128 in alternate arrangement on alternatesides of the strapping chamber. The strapping chamber is constructed tohave peripheral slots that extend around the entire chamber, and enablethe bands to be pulled into the chamber in direct engagement with thebales and bound around the bales of hay. The bales are suitably indexedto place two pairs of bands thereon. These are placed in pairs as thebale is indexed.

The bale is then extruded from the strapping chamber to a cutting unitwhere a cutting means, such as a saw blade 130, is passed through thebale to sever it into two uniform size and weight bales suitable forhandling and shipping. In the illustrated embodiment, a conveyor belt132 receives the compressed bales 26 and carries them to and through asaw blade 130, where they are cut in two smaller bales 26a and 26b andthen carried to a stacking area. The saw may be a circular saw or bandsaw of the type used for sawing lumber. The details of such saws arewell known and such details are not believed necessary herein.

The bales are then stacked in a stack 134 of either single or multiplelayers and bound together into larger units, such as one or multiple tonunits for mechanized handling. The stack 134 illustrates a cargo unit oftwenty bales per layer of four rows of five bales, and preferablycontains two layers to make a one ton unit. The resulting bales will beon the order of approximately fifty-five pounds each, and are stackedsuch as in two layers of twenty for a total of forty bales to form oneton units.

In accordance with operation of the system, the operation is initiatedby powering the system up, with motors driving pumps to establish apredetermined pressure in the power system which powers the rams. Acontrol system, such as in parent application Ser. No. 07/353,811, nowU.S. Pat. No. 5,001,974 to be granted Mar. 26, 1991, controls operationof the machine. The disclosure thereof is incorporated herein byreference as though fully set forth. A pilot control motor and pumps areoperated to provide the necessary pilot control where appropriate. ACPU, which has been previously programmed to initiate and controloperation of the system, is activated to initiate operation of thesystem. The system begins by operation of conveyor 12 for feeding hayonto the first indexing table 28, where an appropriate amount orquantity of hay is selected by weighing, and then activating the gate orknife 36 for cutting off the flow of hay onto the table or scale. Thefeeding or indexing cylinder 42 is activated and moves the specificweight change of hay onto the indexing table 34. The indexing cylinder54 is activated to move the charge of hay laterally into the compressionchamber 16, wherein the compression ram 112 is activated to compress thehay into the compression chamber, where the extruding cylinder 116 isthen actuated to force the bale laterally from the end of thecompression chamber into the strapping chamber 18.

As the bale is moved into position in the strapping chamber, a firstpair of strapping machines are activated to apply the first set ofstraps to the bale. Thereafter, the bale is further indexed to a secondposition, wherein a second pair of straps are applied to the bale, andthe bale then moved to a position to be cut by the bale cutter into twominiature size bales. The bales are then ejected and then stacked into astack 134 for shipping or the like.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 7, the recompressed and resized bales as abovedescribed are moved to a position and arranged in a suitable stackedarrangement, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8, for forming into aselected size and weight non-palletized cargo unit. In the illustratedstack of FIG. 1, designated generally by the numeral 134, the stack mayconsist of two layers of the duly formed bales in arrangements of twentybales per layer forming a one ton stack. Alternately, the stack may bearranged in four layers of ten bales, each as shown in FIG. 7 as stack136. This stack may also be considered to be ten columns (verticalstacks) of four bales each. Various other size and shaped cargo unitsmay be selectively formed to provide a desired cargo unit as illustratedin FIG. 8. The present invention provides for forming multiple specificsize and weight bales and multiple different size non-palletized cargounits that are compatible with successive cargo spaces as illustrated.

The stack is then unitized in accordance with the present invention bymeans of a continuous sheet 140 of a suitable polymeric film, such aspolypropylene, which is pre-stretched by a suitable apparatus,designated generally as 138, which will be more fully described. Thefilm is wrapped around the peripheral sides of the stack, asillustrated, a number of times sufficient to bind them together as aunit for handling by a forklift truck without a pallet. The cargo unitis formed by this method without a bottom sheet or pallet, as it iscommonly used in the prior art. The stack of bales is held together as aunit solely by the peripheral wrapping of pre-stretched film andresultant friction or engagement between adjacent bales. This typicallyrequires on the order of about four to ten layers or wraps, butpreferably about seven to eight. The polymeric film may be from aboutone to three mils. in thickness, but is preferably on the order of oneand a half mils. initially and is stretched up to 220%, therebyconsiderably reducing the thickness of the film and essentially removingany further stretch from the film.

The film has a memory, and once in place, tends to or attempts to returnto its original position, thus imposing a compressive force or bandaround the stack of hay bales sufficient to hold them together as aunit. The film is not elastic like rubber, but returns to original sizeover a period of time, such as several hours. The film may bepre-stretched from about 25% up to about 220%. The preferred stretchappears to be around 200% to 220% for the present application.

It has been found that this form of unitization of a stack is bestaccomplished by a lower edge of the film, and an upper edge of the film140 extending slightly beyond the lower and upper surfaces respectivelyof the stack, such that the edges overlap and pull inward, essentiallyenveloping the sides and part of the top and bottom of the bale. Thiscan be accomplished by using a film having a width slightly exceedingthat of the height of the stack, or alternately by first overlapping thelower surface of the stack, and moving the film upward until the upperedge overlaps the upper surface.

Film stretching units designated 138 are available which consist of aplurality of roller units driven within a supporting frame, which take acontinuous sheet of film 140 from a roll and pass it through spacedapart pairs of rollers which stretch it to the selected amount. Suchunits are available from TW Mima Corporation, Pompana Beach, Fla. underModel Number JT-21. These are available under the Trademark "Cobra IV".

Selected unitized stacks or layers of bales of hay may be themselvesstacked and again further unitized into a larger stack. In such anarrangement, a first stack is unitized by wrapping, and another one ortwo stacks are similarly wrapped and placed on the lower stack.Thereafter, the entire stack is made up of a combination of three stacksand is again wrapped. This approach provides an arrangement wherein twoor more separately wrapped units may be wrapped together as a unit andshipped to its destination. At the destination, the outer wrapping maybe removed from the entire cargo unit, leaving the multiple individualcargo units. Thereafter, each unit may be broken and the bales removedtherefrom as needed, while the remaining cargo units may be retained intact by the pre-stretched film. Thus, many smaller modular cargo unitsmay be bundled or bound together in a larger modular unit for shipping,and then broken down into separate modular units for use in finaldestination.

This unitization can be carried out without the need for mounting orloading the bales on pallets or bottom sheets as would normally berequired. It has been found that with from about five to about ten filmlayers of polypropylene film having an initial 1.5 mil. thickness caneffectively bundle or unitize a two to four ton stack of high densitybales without the use of pallets. These stacks can be effectivelyhandled with conventional forklift trucks wherein the tines of the forkextend under the stack without the need for pallets. These can bebundled or formed into selected size and weight cargo units for fittinginto cargo containers for containerized shipping. This approacheliminates the need for pallets, which take up space and requireseparate and additional handling. This approach considerably reduces thecost of packaging and shipping.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is illustrated a conventional forklift truck142 handling a unit of cargo consisting of stack 136 of bales of haybound together solely by polymer film without a pallet in accordancewith the invention. The forks (only one 144 shown) engage the bottom ofthe stack directly. Only two columns of the bales are engaged by theforks. Therefore, the remaining bales are supported vertically byfrictional or binding surface engagement by adjacent bales and thesurrounding film.

In a typical example of unitizing, the film is started at the bottom orlower end of the stack, with the lower edge of the film slightlyoverlapping the lower edge of the stack, and the dispensing unit 138 iscarried around the stack by arm wrapping the outer surface of the haystack with the pre-stretched film. From about four to about ten layersof the film are applied to the lower portion of the stack before thedispensing head begins to move upward to the top, where another four toten layers are applied around the upper layers of bales on the stack,with the upper edge of the film slightly overlapping the top of thestack. Intermediate the upper and lower layers of film, the layers maybe lesser than that at the top and bottom and still retain the unitizedunit of cargo.

An alternate approach to the wrapping of stacks of bales of hay includesa turntable which supports a load of hay for rotation. The turntablecomprises essentially a base member with suitable driving means forrotating it. A film dispensing head is mounted on a stationary verticalsupport member for vertical movement for moving the sheet of filmvertically along the rotating stack of hay. The sheet of film, as inprevious embodiments, is started preferably at the bottom, but may bestarted at the top and overlaps as previously described to pull inwardalong the edge of the bottom surface, and likewise inward along theupper surface to essentially encompass the bales of hay into a unitarycargo. These unitized bales of hay can be handled with forklift trucksas previously described. This eliminates pallets and the expense andhandling thereof.

Referring to FIG. 9 of the drawings, there is illustrated anothersignificant aspect of the invention. In accordance with the invention,bales of hay to be shipped are formed into selected size cargo units inaccordance with the expected mode of transportation at the destination.In the illustrated embodiment, a cargo container 146 of the typeconventionally used for container shipping aboard containerized cargoships is of a conventional size, namely forty feet in length, eight feetin width and eight feet in height. This standard size unit having a pairof doors 148 and 150 at one end is filled with selected size cargo unitsformed in puzzle fashion to fit within the container cargo space formingspecific size and weight units, and of a similar size weight to fitcargo space of a series of cargo handling vehicles at the destination.

By way of example, as shown in FIG. 9, a vehicle 152 has a cargo spaceof approximately four feet in width and six feet in length. Bales of hayare formed in cargo units sized to fit this cargo space, and with otherunits fit into the cargo space of the shipping container 146. A vehicle154 has a cargo space having a general dimension of about four feet byabout eight feet. A cargo vehicle 156 has a cargo space generallyillustrated of being on the order of about five feet in width by abouteight feet in length. These vehicles may represent small to medium sizevans or pickup trucks. A vehicle 158 has a cargo space illustrated asbeing on the order of eight feet in width and about sixteen feet inlength. Such vehicles may be representative of some of those availablein certain foreign countries, such as for example in Japan.

In accordance with the illustrated invention, the cargo space of theshipping container 146 is fitted with a plurality of different sized andconfigured cargo units like a puzzle. As shown in top plan view, aplurality of cargo units of identical configuration and weight,designated by the numeral 160, are fitted in a portion of the cargocontainer. These cargo units may be equivalent for example to thatillustrated in FIG. 7, having a dimension of approximately four feet inwidth, eight feet in length and four feet in height. Two such units maystack, one on top of the other, in spaces designated at 160.

At least a pair of identical cargo units 162 having the peripheraldimensions of four by four and possibly the height also of four feet maybe stacked in a space in the container fitting the eight foot spacebetween the walls and the eight foot space between the floor and ceilingthereof. Thus, the space occupied by the units 162 may constitute fourunits. These units may fit for example the cargo space of the vehicles152 and 154 as illustrated.

Cargo units 164 represent units having at least a peripheral dimensionof five feet in width and eight feet in length. These may alsopreferably have a four foot height, and therefore two of such units maystack and fill the space between the lateral walls and the floor andceiling of the container. Similarly, one or more of these cargo unitsmay fit a vehicle cargo space of a vehicle 156.

A pair of cargo units 166 and 168 are fitted into a space between theside walls of the container. The cargo unit 166 represents at least aperipheral dimension of four foot in width and six foot in length. Twosuch units may be stacked, one on top of the other, and a pair of units168 having a dimension of two feet in width by four feet in length andperhaps four feet in height fill the additional space therein. The cargounit 166 may, in this example, fit for example the cargo space vehicle152. In a similar manner, the two combined cargo units 166 and 168 mayalso fit the cargo space of the vehicle 154.

A pair of the cargo units 166 may also be arranged in a lengthwisedirection, one side by side as illustrated, extending between the sidewalls of the cargo container. These units as also illustrated may fitthe cargo units or spaces of vehicles 152 and 154.

A pair of identical cargo units 168 having the peripheral dimensions offour by four, and preferably a height for example of four feet, fill aspace between the side walls of the container. These units may fit forexample into the cargo spaces of vehicles 152 and 154. In the cargo unit152, an additional cargo unit 168 may also be provided to fill the cargospace. The remainder of the cargo container 146 is filled by a pluralityof the smaller cargo units 168. These may, as in the illustratedembodiment, be used in conjunction with additional units for fill-inspace.

The cargo space of the vehicle 158 may be filled with four of the cargounits 160, as illustrated, or various other combinations of the cargounits. For example, any one of the 160 units may be replaced by a 166unit and a 168 unit or by two of the 162 units. Similarly, it may bereplaced by one of the 162 units and two of the 168 units. In summary,various combinations of the units may be selectively positioned incombination with other units in various cargo spaces.

While we have illustrated and described our invention by means ofspecific embodiments, it should be understood that numerous changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. We furtherassert and sincerely believe that the above specification together withthe accompanying drawings contains a written description of theinvention and the manner and process of making and using it, in suchfull, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled inthe art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly concerned,to make and use the same, and further that it sets forth the best modecontemplated by us for carrying out the invention.

We claim:
 1. A non-palletized unit of cargo consisting of multipleuniform size and weight high density bales of hay comprising:at least afirst layer of multiple rows of uniform size and weight bales of hayformed into a stack having peripheral sides and defining a predeterminedsize and weight cargo unit; and binding means extending exclusivelyaround the peripheral sides of said stack and binding said stacktogether as unit exclusively by laterally inwardly directed peripheralbinding forces applied to said peripheral sides biasing said balesinwardly, thereby at least partially compressing and forcing adjacentvertical surfaces of laterally adjacent bales into partiallyinterlocking binding engagement with laterally adjacent bales saidbinding means including a binding film of multiple layers of a polymerfilm pre-stretched from about 25% to about 220% wrapped in multiplelayers snugly around the peripheral sides of said stack of bales.
 2. Anon-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 1 wherein said stackcomprises multiple layers of bales of hay.
 3. A non-palletized unit ofcargo according to claim 2 wherein said bales of hay are on the order ofabout 18"×12"×20" and weigh about fifty pounds.
 4. A non-palletized unitof cargo according to claim 3 wherein said unit of cargo comprisesmultiple layers of said bales of hay, and separate ones of said layersare separately wrapped by a first multiple layers of said film; andsaidmultiple layers are bound together by a continuous sheet of said filmextending around the periphery of said stack.
 5. A non-palletized unitof cargo according to claim 2 wherein said bales of hay are on the orderof about 18"×24"×20" and weigh about one-hundred ten pounds.
 6. Anon-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 1 wherein said unit ofcargo is selectively sized for fitting with multiple other identicallyconstructed cargo units into a standard cargo container in a manner tosubstantially fill the cargo space therein, said cargo units havingperipheral dimensions taken from the group consisting of four feet byeight feet, five feet by eight feet, four feet by four feet, three feetby four feet, two feet by four feet and four feet by six feet.
 7. Anon-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 6 wherein said cargounits include units formed to have a height of about four feet.
 8. Anon-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 6 wherein said cargounits include units formed to weigh fractions of and unit multiples of ametric ton.
 9. A non-palletized unit of cargo consisting of multipleuniform size and weight high density bales of hay comprising:at leastfirst and second coextensive layers of multiple rows of uniform size andweight high density bales of hay forming a stack having verticalperipheral sides and a bottom layer having a planar bottom surface; andperipheral binding means binding said stack together as a unitexclusively by laterally inwardly forces on said peripheral sides, saidbinding means comprising an elongated sheet of a polymer filmpre-stretched from about 25% to about 220% wrapped in multiple layerssolely and snugly around and in direct engagement with the peripheralsides of said stack of bales for applying a continuous laterallyinwardly directed force for biasing said bales inwardly, thereby atleast partially compressing and forcing the vertical surfaces of thebales into partially interlocking binding engagement with laterallyadjacent bales for binding said bales together as a unit whilemaintaining said layers in place due to said partially interlocking ofthe vertical surfaces of the bales.
 10. A non-palletized unit of cargoaccording to claim 9 wherein said bales of hay are on the order of about18"×24"×20" and weigh about one-hundred ten pounds.
 11. A non-palletizedunit of cargo according to claim 9 wherein said bales of hay are on theorder of about 18"×12"×20" and weigh between about fifty to seventypounds.
 12. A non-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 9 whereinsaid unit of cargo comprises multiple layers of said bales of hay, andseparate ones of said layers are separately wrapped by first multiplelayers of said film; andsaid multiple layers are bound together by acontinuous sheet of said film extending around the periphery of saidstack.
 13. A non-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 9 whereinsaid unit of cargo is selectively sized for fitting with multiple otherof said cargo units into a standard cargo container in a manner tosubstantially fill the cargo space therein, said cargo units havingperipheral dimensions taken from the group consisting of four feet byeight feet, five feet by eight feet, four feet by four feet, three feetby four feet, two feet by four feet and four feet by six feet.
 14. Anon-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 13 wherein said cargounits include units formed to have a height of about four feet.
 15. Anon-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 13 wherein said cargounits include units formed to weigh fractions of and unit multiples of ametric ton.
 16. A non-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 13further comprising additional cargo units selectively loaded into acargo container in a manner to substantially fill the entire cargo spaceof said container.
 17. A cargo of multiple selected size non-palletizedcargo units consisting of multiple uniform size and weight high densitybales of hay, said cargo units loaded in a shipping container in amanner to substantially fill the container, each cargo unitcomprising:at least first and second coextensive layers of multiple rowsof multiple uniform size and weight high density bales of hay forming astack having vertical peripheral sides and a bottom layer having aplanar bottom surface, said stack forming a cargo unit dimensioned tocombine with additional cargo units and substantially fill a shippingcontainer, and each cargo unit dimensioned to fit a cargo space of acargo handling vehicle; and peripheral binding means binding said stacktogether as a unit exclusively by laterally inwardly directed forces onsaid peripheral sides, said binding means comprising an elongated sheetof a polymer film pre-stretched from about 25% to about 220% wrapped inmultiple layers exclusively around and in direct engagement with theperipheral sides of said stack of bales for applying a continuouslaterally inwardly directed force for biasing said bales inwardly,thereby at least partially compressing and forcing vertical surfaces ofthe bales into partially interlocking binding engagement with verticalsurfaces of laterally adjacent bales for binding said bales together asa unit while maintaining said layers in place due to said partiallyinterlocking of the vertical surfaces of the bales.
 18. A non-palletizedunit of cargo according to claim 17 wherein said bales of hay are on theorder of about 18"×24"×20" and weigh about one-hundred ten pounds.
 19. Anon-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 17 wherein said bales ofhay are on the order of about 18"×12"×20" and weigh between about fiftyto seventy pounds.
 20. A non-palletized unit of cargo according to claim17 wherein said unit of cargo is selectively sized for fitting withmultiple other of said cargo units into a standard cargo container in amanner to substantially fill the cargo space therein, said cargo unitshaving peripheral dimensions taken from the group consisting of fourfeet by eight feet, five feet by eight feet, four feet by four feet,three feet by four feet, two feet by four feet and four feet by sixfeet.
 21. A non-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 20 whereinsaid cargo units includes units formed to have a height of about fourfeet.
 22. A non-palletized unit of cargo according to claim 20 whereinsaid cargo units include units formed to weigh fractions of and unitmultiples of a metric ton.